A Swirl of Color
by Artistard3
Summary: Maybe there's a reason Jade's so bitter. Maybe it's because she's still grieving for her sister and her mother's death. When Beck comes into her life, she thinks Beck is going to make her happy. He becomes her student teacher and everything falls apart.
1. Chapter 1

"Can I have a Bud Light?" Jade heard a male voice ask at the other end of the bar.

She inwardly groaned, annoyed at the new presence in the bar. She liked this bar because it was always empty. She had been coming here for about a year. The bar tender had checked her fake ID one time, not giving it a second glance. Now, the bartender knows who Jade is. She never talks to the bartender, but he's always in the bar and he knows her face.

She was probably one of the bar's most loyal customers, which is sad because she is still in high school.

Jade took a sip of her Vodka Soda.

Yes, she is sixteen years old. Yes, she is drinking illegally. Does she care? Not at all. She has been drinking since she was fourteen and a half; that was the one advantages to hitting puberty early: at first glance, people always thought Jade was a lot older than she really was.

Since it was a Thursday, Jade only ordered one drink, already paid for. Getting drunk on a weekday was just pathetic, and also, it made it difficult to go to school the next day.

"Hey," Jade heard a male voice in her right ear; the same voice that had entered the bar a mere five minutes ago.

"What?" She asked rudely.

She was trying to write a short story for her English class that was due tomorrow. Who did this guy think he is, trying to bother her like that?

"Whatcha doing?"

"Why are you talking to me?" Jade huffed, setting down her Vodka Soda.

"I don't know. You're the only one in here," he shrugged.

"I know. I like it that way. Please go away, I'm busy," Jade snapped, turning back to her short story on her computer.

"What's your name?" He asked, drumming his fingers against the counter.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She rolled her eyes.

"Actually, I-"

"God, why are you still here?" Jade cried, looking up at him through her dark eyelashes.

In that moment, she saw his face.

The boy was extremely attractive, she couldn't deny it. He was more like man than a boy: probably in his early twenties. He had fluffy hair, tan skin, and a serene half smile.

"Is that a script?" he asked curiously, still remaining calm. At this point, she would have yelled at the boy for looking over her shoulder. At this point, any other guy at her school would have run away crying, scared of her. This boy was different.

"No, it's the beginning of a short story. If you don't mind, I really need to work on it. So maybe you could, I don't know... not be here right now," she told him, looking into his dark eyes with a sharp glare.

He smiled at her bluntness.

"Need some help? I go to UCLA. I student teach at that middle school near that coffee shop. When I finish, I'm supposed to start student teaching high school. I'm into acting. So where do you go? Are you into acting, or just writing?" Jade raised her eyebrows in surprise. Jade guessed he assumed she was in college. It made sense: she was in a bar, and she was drinking a Vodka Soda. She was working on an assignment.

"You talk a lot, Mystery Dude."

"Mystery Dude?" He asked, smiling.

Jade smirked.

"I'm an actress. I sing and dance a little bit too. I also write plays and short films. Right now, I'm writing a short story, though," she said, taking a sip of her drink.

Maybe her short story could wait; this boy seemed rather interested in her; not that many boys could talk to her without running away in tears. She could always write her short story at lunch and then turn it in at the end of the day.

"Wow, you're like a quadruple threat. Maybe you'll let me see something of yours sometime?"

Jade snorted. "Did you just ask me out?"

"Well, yeah. I mean... If you want."

Jade smiled.

"Okay, Mystery Dude. Give me a reason you want to go out with me and I'll consider," she told him, noting that neither one of them had introduced themselves yet they were still having a pretty in depth conversation.

"Let's see. You're interesting. You're sarcastic. You seem very smart. And you are, uh, ... I don't know how to put this eloquently... You're kinda really fucking beautiful," his cheeks reddened.

Jade raised her eyebrows, smirking.

"Really fucking beautiful, huh?" She laughed.

He smiled at her. "Yeah," he said, touching the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"Your face doesn't make me want to vomit," she commented, shrugging.

He barked out a laugh. "Wow, Thank you. That was kind of you to say."

"I say what I feel," she shrugged.

"I like that about you. Too many people spend time hiding their true feelings. Right off the bat, I could tell that you were annoyed with my presence, but also, I thought you were intriguing."

"Hmm."

"Are you still annoyed with my presence?" He asked.

"No. Not really."

"That's good," he said. Jade nodded.

Jade could feel his eyes traveling to her lips. If he wasn't going to go for it, she would.

"Would you mind if I kissed you right now?" He asked.

"Okay, first if all, I don't even know your name is, but seriously? What are you...12 years old? You aren't supposed to ask a girl if you can kiss her! I hate when guys-"

He cut her off by smashing his lips against hers, threading his fingers through her dark curly hair, pushing their chests together.

Beck's mind felt dizzy. He thought that because this girl seemed so rough, her lips would seem rough too. But the kiss felt passionate and soft and he wanted more. He needed to know her.

"My name is Beckett. Beckett Oliver. Call me Beck. I hate Beckett," he told her.

"Jadelyn West. Call me Jade unless you want to lose an arm."

He smiled.

"I like it."

"I never asked you," she rolled her eyes, making him chuckle.

"God, you're just a ball of sunshine."

"That's what they say," Jade smirked, taking a sip of her drink.

After saving what she had written of her short story, Jade spoke up.

"So... are we just going to leave the kiss in this bar, or are we going to get out of here?" She asked bluntly, quirking an eyebrow.

"Let's get outta here," he told her, smiling. Jade grabbed her computer and shoved it in her backpack, following behind him.

"Where do you live?" She asked.

"I used to share an apartment with my friend Andre, but he moved out to stay with his Grandma because she's kind of insane. So now I live alone. It's about twenty minutes away."

Beck turned on the radio on the way there; he listened to Jade's voice as she hummed along. If her voice was this beautiful when she hummed, he couldn't imagine how beautiful her voice would sound when she sang.

When they got to Beck's apartment, he crashed his lips against hers, making her smile. So he did like to take charge.

It took about five minutes to get unclothed.

"You're so beautiful," he told her, taking her in, making her blush.

"You don't look that bad," she smirked, making him smile.

He pressed his lips against hers, running his hands over her body, guiding her over to his bed.

Jade fell asleep with Beck's arms wrapped around her naked body, seemingly way too personal for just a one night stand.

Sometimes, certain events find a way to ruin everything in a person's life. This was the event that started it all.


	2. Chapter 2

Jade woke up in the morning, trying to remember her surroundings. She spotted a tan arm wrapped around her torso, and clothes thrown all around the room.

Then she realized what had happened the night before. She swore, running her hands through her hair.

She was about twenty minutes away from Hollywood Arts, and school started in fifteen minutes.

She shook him. When he didn't wake up, she tried waking him up with a kiss, which he reciprocated nicely.

"Beck, I need you to give me a ride! I'm late!" She scrambled. "Oh and get me some clothes."

Beck found her comfortableness with him rather amusing as he rolled onto his side. She was already ordering him around and he had only known her for a night.

She scrambled into his shower without asking permission, coming out eight minutes later to find a red plaid shirt and a pair of jeans laying on his bed.

"It was the only thing I could find that I thought would fit you," Beck told her.

"No, it's good," she told him, stepping into his clothes as he watched her, smirking.

"You look good in my clothes," he commented. She blushed, but she hid it with a smirk.

She flew in front of his mirror to examine her appearance.

She looked hot. She was wearing brighter colors than usual, but it was all she had. It seemed rather scandalous.

"So where am I taking you exactly?" He yawned, handing her a cup of coffee.

"You'll find out when you get there," she told him, picking up her cup of coffee.

"That's black coffee. There's sugar in the cabinet and creme and milk in the fridge. I didn't know how you like it."

"Black with two sugars," she answered, grabbing the packets of sugar and following Beck to his car.

Once she hopped in his car, she realized she never finished her short story from last night. She entered the street name of her school into the address into his GPS, scrambling to open her short story.

Jade West didn't do anything halfway; she was going to work on the short story throughout lunch and study hall, and she would turn it in at the end of the day for ten points taken off. Jade never turned in work that was halfway done.

"So why am I dropping you off on the side of the road?"

"I don't want you to know everything about me, right? Don't you like to have some mystery, Mystery Boy?" She smirked, making him laugh, shaking his head.

She didn't want him to realize she was in high school, because he would probably make a big deal out of it, so she told him to drop her off around the corner from the school.

Jade wasn't lying... technically. She was just omitting the truth. They are two completely different things. Beck never asked her how old she was.

Sometimes, things can seem insignificant, and then later, people learn that those things are one of the most significant things. This was one of those moments.

•••

Beck called Jade two days later, asking if she wanted to go out again.

She agreed.

They ended up staying in Beck's apartment for the night, talking.

"So. Tell me about yourself."

"Tell you about what?" Jade asked, sipping the glass of wine Beck had given her.

"What do you like?" Beck shrugged.

"I love coffee. I drink it a lot. I like bunnies," she shrugged. "I love acting and singing, but I really like writing plays. I like when people I hate feel pain. I really love scissors," she smiled, pulling the pair out of her combat boots.

"You just carry scissors around with you?" He asked incredulously.

"I have 23 pairs and of scissors currently in my possession," she said.

He smiled.

"That's um...different."

Jade narrowed her eyes at him for a second.

"Look, I'm going to give you a warning, Beck. I've been going nice on you because I like you, but almost everyone is know is afraid of me. I use intimidation to get what I want, and some of the guys I have been with don't like that."

"You like me?" He grinned.

"Was that the only thing you got out of what I just said?" Jade asked.

"Pretty much. And also you claim to be intimidating. I don't see it," he teased, making her glare at him.

Yeah, she liked Beck a lot, although she wasn't going to tell him that.

"So what about you, Mystery Boy?" She teased him with the nickname. "All I know is that you're tan, hot, you're a good lay, and you tried to give me advice on writing, claiming you're an actor. What else do you do?"

"I'm from Canada," he shrugged.

"Ew. I slept with a Canadian?" Jade groaned.

He laughed. "You hate a lot of things."

"That is true," she confirmed. "So, Beckett, why do you act?"

"I think it's the easiest way to express how I'm feeling. I have a hard time expressing my own feelings, but when I do it thorough another character, my emotions just come out. I don't know why," he shrugged, making her smirk.

"What about you, Mrs. Quadruple threat? You claim you act, sing, dance, and write plays."

"It's not just a claim," she said. "It's true."

"Well then, Jadelyn, why do you do it?"

"I just like it. It's what I've always done," she shrugged.

He nodded.

"Wanna eat now?"

"Or, we could reconvene on your bed for some late night festivities."

"That sounds fun too," he grinned.

•


	3. Chapter 3

•

Beck woke up on a Sunday morning to find about six pages stapled together, next to his pillow, with a red sticky note on top of it.

**'Here's that short story I was working on the day we met. I finished it. -Jade' **

_I._

_Jessie is six and standing in front of black. That's all she can see- black hats, black dresses, black fingernails. She wants color, she wants someone to pick her up and hold her and whisper that everything is going to be okay. But that person is (was) her mother, and her mother is gone (and no one will even tell her why). Jessie's mother is (was) one of the two constants in her life; not like Daddy who 'works', or Uncle Mike who yells a lot, or Aunt Wendy who ruffles her curly hair and says 'hey sweet pea' but forgets their birthday every single year._

_While Jessie watches the sea of black, she sits next to Amelia, her twin, her second constant, and holds her hand. Jessie laces their fingers together, a habit they have had for years, something that has always just been their thing. They have no secret handshake, no other hand gestures. Just this._

_And that's all Jessie has ever known, really: how to make Amelia giggle, how to make Daddy angry, and how to sing and 'make believe'._

_II._

_Jessie is seven and singing a group song in a school play. Their elementary school was putting on the Wizard of Oz._

_Amelia, Jessie's only constant, is watching her twin, swinging her legs in the front row of the auditorium as she sits in the uncomfortable plastic chair. Amelia is the only person allowed at the rehearsal that isn't part of the play. Amelia likes to draw; not sing or 'make-believe'._

_Amelia makes funny faces when Jessie glances in her direction, and whenever Mrs. Louis isn't looking, Jessie will stick out her tongue or cross her eyes. They finish the scene they were working on for that day, and all of the children rush out the door, eager to finally go home. Jessie runs down the stairs and slowly walks toward Amelia. Their dad is never home, so they have to let themselves in, using the key under the door mat. She hates having to wait for him to get home; the more time they spend at rehearsal, the less time they have to spend waiting._

_"Jessica, can you come here for a second?"_

_Jessie sends Amelia a terrified look. Mrs. Louis must have seen them making faces at each other. She walks back toward the teacher, pretending she doesn't know what she did wrong._

_"Jessica, I think you are really really talented singer," Mrs. Louis says. It's at that moment Jessie realizes her teacher is smiling, not frowning. "Would you like to audition for the understudy of Dorothy?"_

_Jessie didn't audition for a part in the play. All of the kids who signed up were put in the chorus._

_Jessie is seven (and 2 months) old, the second youngest after Savannah, whose birthday is 44 days after hers. Everyone knows that the younger kids don't get the main roles. Or even understudies._

_"Sure!" Jessie grins. She has been playing 'make-believe' with Amelia since they were five, so she reads the lines Mrs. Louis wants her to,_

_Mrs. Louis grins, telling her that she just got the understudy of Dorothy._

_Walking home, Jessie remembers when she was four or five, and Momma used to play the piano. It wasn't all the time, but whenever Momma sang to her and Amelia, it made them so happy. Momma didn't know how well she sang; it came from her heart and it came from her soul. Momma never sang in front of daddy, though. Momma said Daddy thought it was a waste of time._

_When Jessie tells Daddy about the play, he rolls his eyes, making Jessie frown._

_III._

_Their elementary school is putting on the Wizard of Oz two nights in a row. Mrs. Louis informs Jessie that she is performing as Dorothy on the second night._

_The entire time Jessie was onstage, Amelia was making faces. Jessie had to stare at other people so that she didn't burst into laughter._

_While she avoided looking at her sister, she looked around the auditorium to see if she could find Daddy. She had told him about it, but he had replied with: "we'll see."_

_She should have known better. Amelia is her constant; Daddy isnt._

_he Their elementary school is putting on the Wizard of Oz two nights in a row. Mrs. Louis informs Jessie that she is performing as Dorothy on the second night._

_The entire time Jessie was onstage, Amelia was making faces. Jessie had to stare at other people so that she didn't burst into laughter._

_While she avoided looking at her sister, she looked around the auditorium to see if she could find Daddy. She had told him about it, but he had replied with: "we'll see." Amelia's her constant and Daddy isn't. That's the way it's always been._

_When the kids, still clad in their costumes, line up to take pictures with their parents, Jessie laces her fingers with Amelia's, and poses with her instead. _

_IV._

_Jessie and Amelia's eighth birthday falls on a Sunday. The girls share a bedroom, and Jessie wakes up first, as always. Jessie stares at the ceiling, which was painted half white and half creme colored. Daddy promised he would finish painting their room back when Momma was still a constant. Daddy never even came home last night. _

_"Happy Birthday, Amelia," Jessie whispers, looking at her sleeping sister for a small second thinking 'she looks exactly like momma'. Amelia inherited Momma's beautiful dirty brown locks or hair, whereas Jade got stuck with her dad's hair, which was brown and curly and not that special. _

_"Happy birthday, Jess," Amelia whispers back, and Jessie realizes Amelia's been awake the whole time._

_The distance between their beds is tiny, so Jessie reaches out with her hand. Amelia clutches it tightly even though she's half asleep._

_IV._

_Jessie and Amelia are separated in fourth grade. They walked into class together, and they were going to sit by each other like they always do, when Mrs. Sullivan walks up to them. "Don't you think it would be nice to make some new friends?"_

_No, Jessie thinks. She doesn't think it would be nice at all._

_Jessie finds herself sitting next to Caroline Evans, who copies off of her work and asks her questions like "so you're the girl with the dead mom?" and "what's up with your dad? Why didn't he come to career day last year?" _

_Jessie refuses to answer any of the questions, and she counts the minutes until she can leave school. She stays perfectly still, and soon enough, Caroline leaves her alone and turns toward a different girl._

_No, Jessie thinks, this is not nice at all._

_V._

_In the fifth grade, Amelia and Jessie visit Momma's grave for the sixth time since the funeral. _

_Daddy drives them to the cemetery, showing them the route, claiming: "I don't want to keep doing this. You two should know where your mother is. Visit her on your own time."_

_They hold hands as they talk to Momma. Jessie sings the song she got to sang in the school play, and Amelia leaves their mother a drawing she drew, of 'Jessie, Amelia and Momma' (and not Daddy)._

_VI._

_Jessie notices Amelia stops talking and giggling like she used to._

_Amelia talks to Momma, like Momma's still alive. Amelia talks to Momma's ghost. Jessie knows Momma isn't alive, but Amelia doesn't._

_When Daddy calls Amelia 'immature', Jessie yells at him, calling him 'stupid_

_and mean'._

_Jessie decides to protect Amelia, because Amelia's her twin and her best friend. She's her constant, and she loves her._

_VII._

_The fifth day of middle school, Jessie slaps Emma Coffield in the face. _

_"Jessica Williams," the principal shakes his head with a sigh. "I understand your anger, but violence is never the answer. I am aware that you were trying to protect your sister, but this action cannot go unpunished. Emma already apologized to Amelia, and she is expected to have apologized to Amelia by tomorrow. I expect the same from you. You are being sent home early, Jessica. I want you to think about your actions. Also, your spot in the school play is being revoked. I do not tolerate violence in my school."_

_"But Sir..." She trials off. Emma Coffield deserved to be hit in the face. Emma had told Amelia that she was being 'stupid' for talking to herself. But Amelia wasn't talking to herself; she was talking to Momma. Amelia had started crying, so Jessie hit Emma. It's that simple._

_"I don't see what the school play has to do with hitting Emma. They are completely unrelated."_

_"I am sorry, Jessica. As I said, violence cannot go unpunished. You are not a bad, kid. Things like this will not happen again, are we clear?" The principal asks._

_Jessie nods, wanting to leave the principal's office._

_"The school left a message for your father. He should be on his way."_

_She thanks the principal, and plops into an empty plastic chair in the front office where she is supposed to wait for her father to pick her up._

_Jessie wonders who is going to pick her up when the school realizes her dad isn't coming, and she wonders who Amelia is going to walk home with now that she won't be there to walk with her._

_VIII._

_"Jessie, that was amazing!" Amelia greets her at home. Jessie had informed the office of her situation, so they let her walk home by herself._

_"Thanks, Amelia," Jessie says as her twin sits on her bed. _

_"I miss her," Amelia says, eyes drifting to the picture of their mother their keep on their bedside table._

_"She would be proud of you," Jessie tells Amelia, because Amelia is definitely the smartest person and best drawer she knows, and this week has been particularly hard on them._

_"We're visiting tomorrow after school right?" Amelia asks, making no indication she heard what Jessie said._

_"Of course," Jessie replies, lacing their fingers together. They both stare at the picture, trying to remember the woman who, they both forget a little bit more each day._

_IX._

_The gravestone reads: Danielle Williams, loving daughter, wife, and mother._

_Amelia speaks first; she always has._

_"Hey Momma. It's been six years since you left. I get scared that one day I'm gonna wake up and just forget you. I hear your voice, and I know you're still talking to me. I'm terrified that one day I'll wake up and the only memories I have will be from photographs. I miss you a lot. Daddy does too, even though he isn't ever home. I love you Momma. Always."_

_Jessie tries to speak, but she can't. Suddenly everything is black. That's all she can see- black hats, black dresses, black fingernail polish. She remembers the funeral, the sympathy, the confusion. Jessie chokes, her throat clogged up and her brain filling with memories. _

_Amelia calls her name, but she stumbles away from the grave, away from her sister. _

_She's four years old, her mother laughing as she finds the twins covered in flour in the kitchen. She's five, sitting on the piano bench with Amelia and Momma, the two girls watching Momma pour her heart out as she's singing. She's six, and she's sitting at the pew with Amelia and Daddy. Nobody will tell her where Momma went, and why she's not with them. _

_"Momma," Jesse cries, and she forgets for a second that she's twelve years old, because she's only six, really. She can't grow up: growing up means leaving Momma behind._

_Amelia hold her hand, and they stand there, crying for everything they've lost._

_X._

_Jessie thought that she would never have to sit in a sea of black again. This time, she's thirteen, and Amelia and Daddy aren't next to her. _

_This time, Amelia's the one stuck in the casket, and Daddy's the one who decided not to come._

_Daddy didn't show up because 'Amelia looked to much like your mother.' _

_Amelia killed herself. Kids making fun of Amelia talking to Momma got even worse. They started shoving her against lockers. Amelia got really depressed; she took some of Daddy's pills and overdosed._

_Amelia was buried right next to Momma. _

_After Amelia isn't her constant, Jessie decides to start wearing all black, all the time. _

_She figures maybe if she wears black all the time, she won't have to attend another funeral._

_Although Jessie doesn't have anyone else to lose, really. She kind of lost Daddy the day she lost Momma._

_ XI._

_Jessie finds a pair of Amelia's scissors while she was cleaning out Amelia's stuff. _

_Amelia was always making something; she was an artist. _

_Jessie keeps Amelia's scissors with her at all times as a reminder of her best friend. She starts buying more. _

_Kids at school assume she's turned goth. She starts acting angrier and she gets irritated easier. She glares at people more and wears a lot of dark makeup. She puts colors in her hair because Amelia liked to see color. Her school thinks she's creepy because she likes to wear black and she carries scissors with her. Jessie lets them think what they want. She doesn't care._

_XII._

_Jessie meets a short synthetically redheaded girl over the summer. Jessie is visiting Momma and Amelia, and she spots the redhead talking to her own gravestone._

_"Hey, I'm Cassie," the girl greets Jessie. _

_It's weird; She looks like a bubbly person. She's wearing a pink floral dress, and her hair is bright. She's smiling, yet her eyes are filled with pain._

_"My Dad," the redhead explains, nodding to the gravestone she was standing at before._

_"My mom. And my sister," Jessie explains, pointing._

_She sees Cassie three times over the summer at the graveyard. _

_Eventually, Cassie asks if Jessie will hang out with her outside the graveyard. _

_Jessie shrugs and follows Cassie to her house. It's colorful and homey._

_They start talking about themselves, and they realize they are very similar. They become bestfriends._

_Cassie is very happy, despite the death of her father. Cassie's like a breath of fresh air. _

_Cassie reminds Jade of Amelia: she's innocent and she needs a little protection._

_The two girls attend the same highschool. People think it's weird that the perky redhead and the weird goth girl are best friends._

_XII._

_Jessie pours her heart into acting and singing, the way Momma used to. She does it for Momma and Amelia. She wants Momma and Amelia to be proud of her._

_Her Daddy doesn't care about acting or singing, and she knows she can't change his mind._

_During the first play Jessie is in, she remembers elementary school when Amelia made faces at her while she performed. _

_She smiles, and some people are surprised that the angry, goth Jessie Williams is smiling, but Jessie doesn't even offer an explanation. Amelia watching; she knows that._

_XIII._

_On the anniversary of Amelia's death, when Jessie is fourteen and a half, she drinks for the first time. Jessie's always been curious about what being drunk feels like._

_Her dad isn't exactly a master at hiding liquor: he keeps his liquor shelf unlocked and fully stocked._

_She gets drunk and lies in bed, staring at the blurry pictures of Momma and Amelia._

_XIV_

_Sophomore year, things change. Cassie starts slipping away. Cassie befriends a boy named Ross, and spends a little bit less time with Jessie._

_A new girl named Vivian joins their school. She's skinny and tall and brunette and Jessie hates her. She looks exactly like Emma Coffield, the girl Jessie slapped in middle school._

_Vivian becomes friends with Cassie, which means, Jessie has to at least be in the same proximity as Vivian if she wants to stay best friends with Cassie._

_Vivian starts getting the leads in all of the school plays. Vivian gets the roles handed to her; Jessie's had to work for these roles. She's had to practice, really practice. But no one seems to care. _

_Jessie starts drinking. She knows Amelia would probably scold her. When she drinks, she forgets about the seas of black, she forgets about losing Momma and Amelia, just for a second. _

_And it feels good to forget. Just for a little while._

_XVI._

_Jessie turns sixteen and gets a fake ID from some senior at her school._

_There's a small bar near her house. Jessie shows the bartender her fake ID, and he lets her drink. She becomes a regular customer. _

_She has alcohol in her house,_

_But she likes the satisfaction of using her dad's money, the money she stole from him._

_XVII._

_Jessie's life has been full of black since she turned six._

_But when she's seventeen, Jack Davidson comes into her life in a swirl of color and a little bit of annoyance._

_Jessie figures this is where it all goes wrong: with him._

Beck had a feeling that this short story was more than just a short story. Beck had a feeling that it was all true. It was the way she wrote; it seemed too personal, too specific, too emotionally correct to be made up.

•

Beck meets her for coffee a couple days later.

"So, I read your short story."

"You did? And? It was good, right?" She asked, smirking, making him smile at her confidence.

"Yes, it was good," he commented.

"Jade, um... was that supposed to be about you?" He asked, looking into her eyes.

He saw her look down.

"Er... Yeah. You weren't supposed to know that. How did you know that?"

"I just assumed. The main character's name is Jessie. Your name is Jade. You're a great writer, Jade. There was a lot of emotion in the story," Beck told her.

"Thanks," she croaked. He could tell she was trying not to cry.

"You know, I don't tell a lot of people about my mom. I don't trust a lot of people. I just tell people that she moved away. Only my best friend Cat know the truth."

He stayed silent, so she started talking. She felt like she could trust this boy.

"My mom died when I was six. She got hit by a car and died instantly. My twin's name is actually Amelia. She looks, I mean, uh, she did look nothing like me. She looked like my mother: blonde, curly hair. They were both beautiful," Jade told him, looking down.

"My dad had a hard time dealing with her death. He was never home. He was always 'at work'. Whenever he was home, he was drunk and angry. He never hit us though. My dad ignored Amelia, since she looked like my mom. He couldn't stand to even look at her. Amelia was eleven when she killed herself. She was being made fun of at school for talking to our dead mother. She talked to our mom's spirit or something. Amelia hated everyone laughing at her, so she overdosed. My dad didn't even show up at her funeral. He couldn't."

Beck watched as she talked. The way her eyes told him her exact feelings.

"Cassie is supposed to be Cat, my bestfriend. Ross is Cat's friend; he's so weird. Vivian is this girl named Victoria. I hate her. And Jack... That's you."

She took a sip of her coffee.

"Please don't tell anyone about this... I'm trusting you. And if you break my trust, you'll regret it," she tried to threaten him, but it just sounded weak.

He laced his fingers with hers, kissing the knuckles, and she started sobbing.

He moved to sit with her on her side of the booth, and she cried onto his chest. Holding hands was what she did with Amelia. Maybe now, if Beck was trustworthy, she could have another constant in her life. Maybe this time, her constant wouldn't leave her.

Just maybe.

•

That night, Jade and Beck made love, and before they fell asleep, Jade laced their fingers together.

"So, are we like, together now?" He whispered into her silky hair.

"Yeah," she told him, not giving him a choice. He grinned, falling asleep next to his girlfriend.

•


	4. Chapter 4

•

"So you want me to come to your play? Are you sure?" Jade asks. Beck called her while she was eating lunch with Tori, Robbie, and Cat.

"Yes I'm sure. You're my girlfriend," he says, making her smile. Her friends stare at her curiously. She doesn't smile unless someone she hates is in pain.

"Okay, I'll come. But it's not because I like you," she tells him, smirking.

"Okay. I'll text you the address. I have to go."

"Bye," she tells him.

"See you tonight."

She arrives and is greeted by a boy with dreadlocks.

"Hey, my name's Andre. I'm Beck's friend. Beck told me to give you this. He's backstage getting ready," Andre tells her.

"Jade," she greets. Andre smiles and then goes backstage.

**'Wait for me after the show? See you soon- Beck'**

She sits near the front.

Beck's the star of the show. He's really good.

It's a romantic play, and there's some other chick kissing him.

At first she realizes she feels jealous. She's only known him for about a three months, but she feels jealous anyway. Beck is her constant; he's not allowed to be anyone else's.

At the end of the play, she tells him what she thinks: it was really good. They go out to eat dinner with Andre. And Jade becomes fast friends with him.

She gets Andre's number and texts him a lot. He's funny. And definitely not annoying like Robbie, her only other male friend.

For some reason, college kids don't annoy Jade; maybe it's because they understand the difference between being a child and being an adult.

•

Beck takes Jade with him to a college party. It's nice. There's beer pong and all of the things she's seen in movies. She doesn't drink anything because she wants to be aware of her surroundings.

"So, this is Jade, my girlfriend," Beck introduces her to his friends.

She loves when he says that.

•

"Jade?" He asks. They're naked. They've been dating for five and a half months.

"Yeah?" She asks. He can feel her smooth legs touching his.

"I... I love you," he admits.

She fights the inner war going on in her head telling her to run away. This boy is a constant. It's okay to love him. He won't just leave her like the rest of them.

"I love you," she breathes, crashing her lips against his, making him smile.

"Don't break up with me, okay? I can't deal with it. Not after Amelia and my mom. So if you don't want to be with me, if you have any doubts, please just say it now," she sighs, closing her eyes.

"I love you okay? I'm never going to break up with you," he says.

She falls asleep with that last line in her brain, hoping it's true.

•


	5. Chapter 5

•

A few days later, something happens. He stops becoming a constant in her life. He breaks his promise.

She was at school, and everything was going fine. Tori and Robbie were being as annoyingly ever and Cat was being overly perky, but really, everything was fine.

"I have great news!" Sikowitz announces, throwing the door open in his excitement.

Sikowitz sits down in the front row, not saying anything.

"Well what is it?" Tori asks, annoying as ever.

"Oh? Are you talking to me?" He asks, taking a sip of his coconut milk.

Jade rolls her eyes.

"Tell us the big news!" Jade snaps.

"We have a new student teacher. He's going to introduce himself. He will be staying here for sixteen weeks. Now everyone, this man is very young and very aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. Please control your teenage hormones and leave him alone," Sikowitz says pointedly, taking a sip of his coconut milk and opening the door.

And then, suddenly, everything is not fine. It is very very very far from it.

Jade is playing with a pair of her scissors when the door opens. She hears a bunch of whispering around her, gossiping about the new student teacher.

"Hi, my name is Beckett Oliver. I'm the new Student-Teacher. You all can call me Mr. Oliver," he says, glancing around the room at the teenagers. The girls all swoon.

Jade recognizes that voice. It's the same one that disturbed her in the bar the night they met. It's the same one that had growled out her name in bed the first night they had sex. It's the same one who had told her he loved her a couple days ago.

Her eyes snap up immediately, and sure enough, it's him.

And now everything is ruined.

"Fuck," she blurts, getting everyone's attention with her sudden outburst.

She grips her scissors tighter in her hand.

"Jade," Sikowitz warns.

"I got a paper cut," she lies horribly, holding up her script as proof. She waves her hand at Beck, pretending she doesn't know the boy standing in front of her. Beck's eyes are glued to hers in disbelief.

Jade feels like crying.

She had finally found another constant, and he is going to leave just like the others.

"Mr. Oliver, why don't you take a seat in the back of the class, and you can observe. Cat, Andre, on stage. Start with scene 5," Sikowitz tells the class.

"He's hot," Tori whispers, like it isn't obvious. Jade ignores Tori.

Jade feels the bile building in her throat as she tries not to cry.

The bell rings, and Jade knows Sikowitz doesn't teach another class until lunch. Which means his classroom is going to be empty.

"Jade," Beck says, making her stop walking. Tori glances at her questioningly and Jade looks at the ceiling, waiting for Tori to leave.

Jade locks the classroom door.

This is it. It's not right for a teacher and a student to be together.

Yeah. She knew that.

"Beck."

"You never told me you were in high school," he comments calmly.

"You never asked."

"God. How old are you?" Beck asks, sitting down, running his hand through his fluffy hair.

"I'm seventeen," She admits, making him sigh.

"What are we supposed to do?" He asks. He sounds like a child who doesn't know how to fix a shattered flower vase before his mom finds out and grounds him.

"I- I don't know."

"We can't be together anymore. It's against the law," he tells her, and she feels tears in her eyes. Normally, she would hide them, but she couldn't. Not this time.

"We already broke the law. You're not even my real teacher. We've had sex countless of times. What difference does it make?" Jade cries. She cringes at the desperation leaking from her voice.

"I didn't know that you were a student. We haven't gotten caught yet. If I get caught, I could be fired, they might not let me become a teacher," he tells her, making her heart break.

"You said you'd never break up with me," she hears her voice crack, and she winces at the sound.

"I didn't know this was going to happen."

"You said you loved me," she says barely a whisper.

"I love you. I swear to god, I love you, Jadelyn," he takes a step toward her, placing his hands on her cheeks. His eyes look like a puppy that got kicked in the face.

She starts sobbing, and she can't stop. This feels worse than losing Momma and Amelia together, because Beck brought hope.

He lets her sob onto his chest, and she sobs even harder, knowing that she's losing someone special. She told him about her mom and about her dad and about Amelia. She trusted him. She trusts him. She loves him.

"Will you wait for me?" She chokes through her tears. "Please? I can't lose you too," she cries. She hates how pathetic she sounds.

"I'll be here student-teaching for four months, Jade. Can you wait?" He asks. She nods.

"Yeah," she chokes.

"I'll wait," he tells her, making her give him a watery grin. "I love you," she mumbles as she kisses him for the last time. He laces their fingers together.

"I love you too," he tells her, kissing her knuckles.

"I have to go," she rips her hands out of his, leaving the room and fixing her makeup.

When Tori asks why he wanted to talk to her, she growls and says "mind your own business."

•

They next day at school is torture. Sikowitz teaches her class about Irony.

"Can anyone list and explain the three types of irony?" Sikowitz asks.

Jade raises her hand and starts explaining Irony to her incompetent classmates.

"Verbal irony is when someone says something and means the other. Situational irony is when the outcome of a situation isn't the intended one. Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that a character doesn't," Jade rolls her eyes at her classes lack of knowledge.

"Very good, Jude," he says. She rolls her eyes at the dumb nickname.

It's funny, Jade thinks.

It's ironic how months ago, she met this boy in a bar. It's ironic how he was her boyfriend, but then he was her student-teacher, and now he's not.

Being in the same room as him hurts; she can't look him in the eyes. Her friends don't notice how she rushes to leave the room when class is over, and how when they talk about how hot he is a lunch, she doesn't contribute.

•


	6. Chapter 6

Andre texts Jade, asking if she wants to hang out. Jade guesses Beck never told Andre what happened.

Jade lies three times and says she's busy. She's not allowed to be associated with Beck or Andre anymore.

When Andre asks Beck what happened to Jade, Beck pretends like he doesn't hear the question. He doesn't want to talk about it.

•

"Mr. Oliver," Sikowitz greets him. Sikowitz has become like a dad to him these past months. Beck has been away from his real parents for years.

"Hey," Beck smiles. Beck can't stop staring at the cast list in which the skinny girl named Tori Vega got the lead and not Jade.

"Is this the cast list for that new play?" Beck asks, hoping it's not.

"Yeah. I had a hard time choosing a leading lady. You know, Tori and Jade have been battling it out since day one," Sikowitz tells him.

"But I don't get it? Jade is a much better actress," Beck lets it slip. He bites his tongue. Hopefully, Sikowitz won't notice his favoritism.

"That is true, yes. Jade has a lot talent. She's practiced and she cares about what she's doing. She also has a negative attitude, unlike Tori. They're completely different actresses, and better for different types of plays," Sikowitz tells him.

"Maybe she has more going on than you think. Maybe there's a reason behind her negative attitude," Beck finds himself defending her.

Sikowitz gives him a weird look, like he's contemplating something. Beck's never seen the man so serious.

"Anyway, what about Tori?" He asks. He doesn't want Sikowitz getting suspicious of him and Jade.

The next day, Beck tries not to stare at Jade when Tori ends up getting the lead. Jade glances up at his sorry eyes and she just rolls her own.

•

"You're really fucking good," he whispers to her after he hears her sing for the first time. She's in one of Sikowitz's musicals.

"Really fucking good, huh?" She smirks, making fun of how he complemented her when they had met the first time ("you're kinda really fucking beautiful." "Really fucking beautiful, huh?").

But then Jade remembers that they aren't together anymore so she can't joke with him like he is her boyfriend and like he has told her that he loved her.

She moves across the room to enter into a conversation with Cat and Robbie, trying to ignore him siting there.

•

Jade spends more time after school at the bar where she met Beck. Since none of her friends have even tried alcohol before, nonetheless been in a bar, she knows they won't be able to find her.

Drinking during the night results in hangovers during the week.

"Why are you wearing sunglasses? We're inside," Tori asks her.

"Stop talking to me," Jade growls. She has a hangover and a headache. Tori turns to talk to Cat, but Cat's curious as well.

"Jadey? I don't get it. You don't even like the sun."

"I have a headache. Please just stop," she sighs. Since Tori and Cat rarely hear Jade say please, they shrug and have their own conversation.

She doesn't care if having hangovers during the week makes her seem pathetic. She is pathetic.

•

Beck shows up at the bar and sees her siting there.

"Jade," he breathes, walking up to her, siting next to her.

"Mr. Oliver," she greets. Things are different now.

Beck laughs. "I haven't seen you around school outside of the class," he states.

"Uh, yeah. It's intentional."

Beck takes her hand and laces it with his. He kisses her knuckles like he did when he found out about her mother and her twin sister.

"Two more months," he says.

"I know. I'm waiting," she mumbles.

"Me too," he says. Jade gulps down all of her vodka, shaking her head. She can feel it burning in her throat. She slaps down a couple of bills and exits, leaving him in there alone.

•


	7. Chapter 7

**Authors note:**

**This is the last chapter! Thanks for reading (:**

**•**

He sees her at school and she looks almost as awful as he feels. She has bags under her eyes and she isn't scowling; she's frowning.

He texts her to meet him after school at his house.

"I can't do this anymore," he admits, running a hand through his hair. They're sitting in his kitchen.

"What do you mean? Are you tired of waiting? Are you giving up on us?" She asks. She feels tears in her eyes because he promised he would wait.

Without saying a word, he kisses her.

"I miss you, okay? I can't stop thinking about you and its not even wrong because we're in love, and I met you before I even knew I was going to be your student-teacher. I'm so sorry, but I can't wait any longer," he tells her. His hands are cupping her cheeks, and she loves the feeling of his hands touching her.

"I miss you too," she tells him, because it's true. She kisses him and he laces their fingers together. He leads her to his bedroom, kissing her knuckles one by one, making her smile.

•

They've decided to date in secret. It's not that hard really. There are two rules: don't talk at school, even if it seems innocent , and don't tell anyone about the relationship.

They only have to wait another month.

It's kinda scandalous, really.

•

She looks happier; they both do.

"How old do you think he is?" Tori asks the group while they're at lunch.

He's 22. "Why does it matter? He's never gonna date you," Jade rolls her eyes. Tori has been freaking out over how hot Mr. Oliver is, as if she's special and she's going to get him to date her.

"He's in his younger twenties," Robbie guesses.

"I wonder if he'll consider going out with a student," Tori asks absentmindedly.

"I think that's illegal. Or at least looked down upon," Robbie says. Jade holds in a laugh. She's glad Beck came around.

"Dang," Tori comments.

•

"God, how can a man be that hot?" Tori shakes her head. They're at Nozu. Beck is there too, talking to some of his friends at the other side of the restaurant. Jade had told him in advance that she was going to be there, in case he was going to talk to her.

"Will you get over yourself, Vega?" Jade rolls her eyes. "Someone like that would never date someone like you," Jade scowls.

"How do you know?" Tori asks, offended.

"Because you're Tori Vega. You're boring and you're a goody two shoes and you're still sixteen," Jade laughs.

Robbie and Cat mumble comments that agree with Jade's.

"Hey guys!" Beck waves before he leaves. Jade doesn't look up at him, in fear that she'd give too much away.

•

When Beck leaves, Sikowitz throws a mini- going away party.

'Good Luck Mr. Oliver' is what the handmade banner says.

"I can't believe he's leaving," Tori complains to Cat.

"He was nice," Cat shrugs.

Jade can see all of the girls throwing themselves at him as he leaves for the last time. It makes her blood boil, even though he's rejecting all of them.

Jade smirks when he rejects Tori.

Cat's probably the only girl who didn't throw herself at him. Because she has common sense. Or because she has such a big crush on Robbie.

•

"So, what happened? Where were you for like three months, Jade?" Andre asks. They're eating dinner at a tiny Italian restaurant near the UCLA campus.

"Beck was my, uh, Student-Teacher," Jade admits, because they agreed they could tell Andre.

"Wait, what?" Andre asks, clearly surprised.

"I ended up being her student-teacher, so we stopped seeing each other. But then my time ended and now we're back together," Beck shrugged.

"How old are you, Jade?" Andre asks.

"I'm seventeen."

"Oh. Why do you look so old?" Andre asks.

"Is that a compliment?" Jade laughs. Andre nods.

"I hit puberty early," she tells him, sipping her wine. Beck just shakes his head, snickering.

"Wait, so how did you two meet again?"

"In a bar," Jade supplies.

"That's what I thought," Andre laughs.

•

"Jade, will you please come over to my house for a sleep over?" Tori pleads.

"No," Jade rolls her eyes. She has a date with Beck at the bar where she and Beck met.

"Why can't you come to Tori's sleepover, Jade?" Cat asks when they're alone.

"I'm busy," she tells Cat.

"Wait...is it a date? With who?" Cat asks, because she knows that mysterious look in Jade's eyes. It means secrets and surprises.

"You don't know him. His name is irrelevant," Jade says, because there is no way Cat can keep a secret like this from Tori.

Cat tells Tori about the date.

"We have to watch her date!" Tori squeals.

"I don't know. I don't want Jade to be mad at us," Cat frowns. Because Jade's had a hard life, and Cat doesn't want to make it any worse.

Tori drags Cat. They make Robbie drive them, since neither of them have their drivers license. They check two places popular for dates in the area: Karaoke Dokie and Nozu; Jade isn't at either of them.

"I don't have much gas left!" Robbie cries, annoyed at Tori and Cat's bantering in the backseat.

"Let's just go to the JetBrew. Than we can go to my house," Cat tells them.

When they arrive, Robbie's the first one to spot Jade walking into the bar that's across the street from the JetBrew.

They follow her in, sitting in a booth in the back, so that they are blocked from view.

"Why is Jade in a bar?" Tori asks.

"It's a bar and grill, Tori. They have good burgers," Robbie shrugs, because they do. He's had them once with his family.

They watch as a boy enters the bar and greets Jade with a kiss on her cheek.

"I don't think they're meeting here for burgers," Tori comments as she sees Jade receive something definitely made with alcohol.

It's the first time Jade and Beck are back in this bar since they decided to break up. They're kind of recreating their first meeting.

"Maybe you'll let me see something of yours sometime?" Beck teases her. That's the only line he can remember saying.

Jade snorts. "Did you just ask me out?"

"Well, yeah, if you want."

Jade smiles.

"Mystery Dude," Beck laughs when she calls him that again.

"Give me a reason you want to go out with me and I'll consider," she tells him, this time, having known Beck for a while.

Tori, Cat and Robbie watch the boy hesitate for a moment. They think the boy is going to get yelled at, but they're all surprised when Jade lightly hits him in the chest, laughing.

"Beck, did you forget why you wanted to go out with me? Because I can tell you. I know your acting skills aren't as good as mine, but I thought you would remember something as important-"

He cuts her off.

"I didn't forget, Jadelyn. My acting skills are just fine, thank you very much. Okay. You're interesting. You're smart. You're really sarcastic and kinda freaky. And you're really fucking beautiful," he smirks.

Jade raises her eyebrows, smirking.

"Really fucking beautiful, huh?" Jade smiles, making him smile.

"Yeah," he says confidently, because this time, they're in love.

"Your face doesn't make me want to vomit," she smirks.

"I love you," Beck grins, kissing her quickly on the lips.

"Sap," she rolls her eyes, drinking her Vodka Soda.

Tori, Cat, and Robbie watch this weird interaction with fascination.

"You love me," he smirks. She kisses him, threading her fingers through his hair.

"Yeah, I really do," she smiles, threading their hands together. He kisses her knuckles.

"Aww," Cat and Tori squeal, an action, if heard by Jade, would have resulted in some yelling.

"Remember when I asked you if I could kiss you when we first met?" He ask.

"Yeah, and then I insulted you by calling you a twelve year old-"

"And then I cut of your insult with a kiss?" Beck smirks at her.

"And then we went back to your apartment," Jade looks into his eyes smirking.

"How could I forget?" Beck grins.

Jade leans in and kisses him.

"What do you say we get out of here?" Jade breathes into the kiss.

"Let's go," Beck kisses her on the cheek. He pays for their drinks and takes Jade's hand.

"Wait," Tori whispers, because she's spent enough time staring to know what her crush looks like.

"That's Mr. Oliver!" Tori whispers as Jade and their Student-Teacher drink their drinks in silence.

"Nuh uh," Robbie argues.

Soon, Jade and Beck are gone.

"We have to ask her about it," Tori says.

•

"We know you're dating the hot-student teacher," Robbie makes Rex blurt during lunch, earning him a loud gasp from the girls at the table.

Jade shrugs. It's not illegal anymore. She checked.

"So?" She rolls her eyes.

"Jade," Tori starts to say.

"Stop talking. Don't try to tell me that I can tell you guys if he forced me into anything," Jade says.

"I love him, okay?" She adds, quieter than before, blushing under her friends gazes.

"So how do you know about him?" Jade asks.

"We were getting coffee at the JetBrew, then we saw you going into the bar. We saw Mr. Oliver there," Tori says.

"Beck."

"What?"

"His name is Beck. I met him as Beck."

"Oh."

•

"Cat and Tori and Robbie found out about us," she tells him. They're siting in his living room, watching tv.

"What happened?" He asks.

"Nothing, really. They're happy for me, I guess."

Beck smiles when he sees the smile on her face.

•

She was living in seas of black her whole life.

Beck came into her life in a swirl of color, and a little bit of annoyance.

She wouldn't change it for the world.

•


End file.
